he performs, such as one who fasts a day and breaks his fast a day, so his fast happens to coincide with Friday; or one whose custom is to fast the first day of the month, or the last of it, or the middle of it, and the like. Ahmad stated this in the narration of al-Athram. He said: It was said to Abu 'Abd Allah: What about fasting on Friday? He mentioned the hadith of prohibition against singling it out, then said: Except if it is during a fast that he was already observing; as for singling it out, no. He said: I said: A man used to fast a day and break his fast a day, and his break fell on Thursday, his fast on Friday, and his break on Saturday, so he fasted Friday alone? He said: This one did not specifically intend to fast it, as it is only disliked to intentionally single out Friday. Abu Hanifah and Malik said: Singling out Friday is not disliked, because it is a day, so it resembles other days. Our evidence is what Abu Hurayrah narrated, saying: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: "Let not one of you fast on Friday, unless he fasts a day before it or a day after it." Muhammad ibn 'Abbad said: I asked Jabir: Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbid fasting on Friday? He said: Yes. Both [al-Bukhari and Muslim] agreed upon it (6). From Juwayriyah bint al-Harith, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered upon her on a Friday while she was fasting, and he said: "Did you fast yesterday?" She said: No. He said: "Do you intend to fast tomorrow?" She said: No. He said: "Then break your fast." Recorded by al-Bukhari (7). There are other hadiths besides these, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is more entitled to be followed. This
(6) The first was recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on Fasting on Friday..., from the Book of Fasting. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/54. And Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Dislike of Fasting on Friday Singly, from the Book of Fasting. Sahih Muslim 2/81. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Specifying Friday with Fasting, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/564. And al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Mentioned Regarding the Dislike of Fasting on Friday Alone, from the Chapters of Fasting. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 3/279. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on Fasting on Friday, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/549. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/303, 422, 458, 495, 526, 532. The second was recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The aforementioned chapter. And Muslim, in: The chapter previously mentioned. It was also recorded by al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Fasting on Friday, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan al-Darimi 2/19. (7) In: The Chapter on Fasting on Friday..., from the Book of Fasting. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/54. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Concession Regarding That, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/564. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 6/324, 430.
